The City of Toronto has been named one of Canada's best diversity employers for the second consecutive year for its exceptional workplace diversity and inclusion programs.

"As a leading organization that offers many diverse programs and initiatives, the City of Toronto is very deserving of this award," said Mayor John Tory. "Diversity is our strength, and I commend the members of the Toronto Public Service, whose work helps make Toronto an inclusive and welcoming city that is a model for the rest of the world."

The competition recognizes leaders who create inclusive workplaces and programs for employees from five groups: women, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal Peoples and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) peoples.

"The City of Toronto leads the way in championing diversity, access, inclusivity and producing equitable outcomes for City employees and the people we serve," said City Manager Peter Wallace. "As one of Canada's top employers, we must continue to create an environment that reflects our diverse communities and where everyone is treated equally and equitably."

The winners for 2017 were announced today by Mediacorp Canada Inc. in a Globe and Mail magazine.

To determine this year's winners, editors reviewed diversity and inclusiveness initiatives from employers who applied for the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. A short list of employers with noteworthy and unique initiatives was compiled and the candidates' programs were compared to programs of other employers in the same field. The finalists chosen represent the diversity leaders in their industry and their region of Canada.

Mediacorp Canada Inc., Canada's largest specialty publisher of quality employment periodicals, manages the Canada's Top 100 Employers project and the Eluta.ca job search engine, now used by more than 5.4 million Canadians annually.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. In 2017, Toronto will honour Canada's 150th birthday with "TO Canada with Love," a year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto.